America
Connie Hsia
夏康妮
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I entered the ICLP summer program with about a decade of Chinese school’s experience, which meant I was still reading font size 14 characters along big pictures and 注音. I had taken no college classes and was very nervous, especially after taking the entrance test. I was placed into a class with kids who had taken 1 or 2 years of college Chinese, so I became more and more nervous. I look back now, and realize that being nervous was just a waste of time. I put in 4-6 hours studying for my 3 classes every day, and my improvement was incredible. I honestly did not think I could have reached this level if it weren’t for my teachers setting high standards, and my own determination to exceed their expectations. It became tiring after the first month, but also easier to keep up, speak, and think in Chinese. My teachers were encouraging, patient, but demanded a lot of effort from us, which is partly why I improved so much. However, there were lots of fun activities and I got to know my teachers well, and one my classes even went to sing KTV after the program ended. I’m not sure if I knew the format of my classes when I began, so just to lay it out; for my summer program, I had 2 classes of 4 students, and one class which was a one-on-one class, to review vocabulary and grammar. Each class is 50 minutes long, with a lunch break at noon. Overall, ICLP exceeded my expectations and I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their Chinese. After all, excellent programs like this 少之又少 –are rare and hard to come by.
入學時語言能力口語僅止於日常生活議題﹐八週之後提升至FSI第四級學術評析能力 Ms. Hsia was able to speak daily conversational Chinese only upon enrollment while her level was enhanced to FSI Chinese Level 4 after completing the eight-week summer program. -
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